Page 59 - KHovanian Homes - Pathway to Homeownership

Section 9 | Home Care & Maintenance even more during the first year of occupancy. This can cause cracks and “nail pops” in your drywall. These are homeowner maintenance items that can be easily repaired in just a few minutes. Maintenance Guidelines • Nail Pops in Drywall: These can easily be repaired by lightly tapping the nail back into the wall with a hammer. You may wish to put something soft, like cardboard, between the nail and hammerhead to protect the surface from marring or scarring. Knock the loose drywall off the top of the nail and recoat using a putty knife and spackling; sand and repaint the surface. • Hairline Cracks in Drywall: These are almost always due to shrinkage or settlement. They too can be repaired with a putty knife and spackling or latex- based caulk. Simply fill in the crack, wipe away the excess, let dry in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations, sand the spackling, and repaint. • Along with spackling, paintable caulk is also a good way to fix cracks in your drywall. Caulk works especially well in corners where cracks occur. Apply the caulk with a caulk gun, remove the excess, and let it dry. Then, repaint the surface with latex wall paint. • Deep scrapes and indentations on drywall surfaces can be filled with two or three applications of spackling compound. Allow it to dry thoroughly and sand between each application. • Wall Fasteners and Anchors: There are a variety of specially designed wall fasteners for drywall available from a hardware store. They offer strength in supporting an object, like a large framed picture, and yet create little damage should you move the picture later. • Plant ledges are architectural design features and should be used strictly to hold plants and other decorative objects. They are not constructed to support the weight of an adult or child. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - GENERAL The wiring in your new home meets national code requirements and safety standards for the normal use of electrical appliances. Electrical wiring, switches, outlets, and circuit breakers were installed by a licensed Electrical Contractor. Generally, small appliances which require your personal attendance for their operation may be plugged into any electrical receptacle without fear of overloading a circuit. However, the use of larger appliances or many small appliances on the same circuit may cause an overload of the circuit and trip a breaker. Although a power surge from outside the home can cause a breaker to trip, the most common cause is using too many appliances on the same circuit. If the electric power goes out check first to determine if neighbors are also without power and, if so, contact the utility company. Before attempting to reset circuit breakers check that power has been restored to the area. If neighbors have power, check the main circuit breaker in the panel box. Be aware that not every electrical power problem is due to problems within the home’s electrical system. Utility companies experience a variety of situations that affect power supplies including power surges and interruptions, peak overload periods, and even total shutdowns. Maintenance Guidelines • Note: Light bulbs are not covered by any warranty. • Before digging in your yard, check the location of buried service leads by calling the local utility locating service. In most cases, wires run in a straight line from the service panel to the nearest public utility pad. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - CEILING FANS Ceiling fans are a great way to reduce your heating and cooling bills and keep your home comfortable. If you ordered, or have installed, the ceiling fan pre-wire upgrade, certain ceiling outlets in your home are strengthened for a ceiling fan. If you can not remember which outlets have the ceiling fan pre-wire, please refer to selected options and renderings. If you did not order this option check with your installer that the ceiling outlets are able to hold the weight of a ceiling fan. Please refer to the selection options and renderings. Edition July 2019 | 41